This invention relates to a solar battery which consists of a p-n junction type semiconductor having a merocyanine dye film formed on an n-type semiconductor substrate.
The solar battery which converts the energy radiated by the sun, a literally infinite energy source, into electrical energy awakens great expectations, and its development is pursued in various fields. To date, a silicon solar battery, GaAs solar battery, CdTe solar battery, CdS solar battery, etc. have been proposed. Some of these solar batteries have been already reduced to practical use.
Some of the inventors involved in this invention participated in the recent proposal of Al/merocyanine dye film/Ag sandwich cells (Japanese Journal of Appl. Phys., Vol. 19-supplement 2 (1980), pp 173-177). The sandwich cells have a restriction that their manufacture should take place under a high degree of vacuum. This disadvantage, coupled with their relatively short service life, has rendered their actual commercialization hardly feasible.